Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-18
SURF-BOARDS.
A STORY OF LIFE ON THE HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS.
Sport Of Years Ago-A Contest that Ended
Fatally A Trial Of
Skill.
Ilnl.,il,o cou, ,er.Iournnl.l


sometimes Of solid pieces, bat more
often Of % number Of smailt~ ones 10
leuiously joined together. Once clear
Of tie btakcs the rider would paddle
ont to sea with his hands and feet, no.
thing else being used, watch his chance
drive The board or the face or crest 0l
a tremendous sen, ami while approach
ing the beach with a velocity but liit,e
less than that OF an express trli7
stand up on it and 60 through eym-
uastic performance that would have put
to shame any attempt made In tf. It lac,
eyl u IN orr best clrcuscs.
not only would its direction toward
shore be controlled, bat 1t would 3.
made to fly up and down the face OF
the breaker in a direction parallel %
tie shore line. A false move ut any
moment would have thrown board a"d
rider into the curlcr with but HE
chance for his life. It was continued
until the sea broke, when tie board
would be shot ahead and landed HIGH
and dry upon the beach. At time
there would be hundreds OF men.
women, and children ~ the water, all
on the go, rushing here and there
stopping from one SEA until carried
along tie ow on the boaI.
again oil, and swimming, taking eve y
position imaginable on the board, bat
rarely if ever meeting with any serious
mishnp, fof they were all auphiJ'0us
Once car q .tiyCs collected in
succession ON tho a icroDt islands o,
the rIcnr and tournament would
take place between the best riders. the
przes consisting OF food. war imp
mCnts. and grandcst OF all an are of
hind and being elevated to the pos .ion
q chief.
His was the rrize offered 10y the
King himself It tine Ia, o the toWIa
mcu,, the competitors be ~ tie two
men who had bceh selected from TIE
most expert riders during the preceding
days. IN this bout the pc Obiec, W'S
to hiil, crown, or dislojge the Oppo-
ncut from his board by ramming WITT
the ends, as no paddle or weapon Of
Any Kind could be used. On this day
every ore who cOud come would liae
the beach, gathered together by tri.~}
or in group from then own I.laui,
All were armed AMI ready to enf)tce
fair play, for there were IGles 30 rnrl-
iqin tbs as well as We nave our own &c
a ike purpose in all lpois. Ouo
there were 10000 or G9,9o) warrior,
alone, and on this occasic!, which W.
ken If particularly, there vcr-tuilY
,,.toG Witnesses who were capable o
boaIing rms.
Whom I'll was ready The riders made
their Appearance the frsl fr)m tia
lslord Of hauii, with a ligh,, corkwool
load fully thirty-hyc feet in length, rs
ii-At ara spnsy as bow, hcIut'iI'v
3CCortcd and as finely prorod' on-l
Or one could wish. But 10 the sal 5ri-s
aud disg9e, OF t1ory ore. b.. oprIucc.
from OAHU appeared With q clum-v.
'Il-lroput.oncd heavy ironwood bol.i
scarcely twenty feet in length, bat
with ends sLarpened ike knife
ode. rs tribe codli hardly
lee prevented from killing him ont
I,ii, 60" N'at chance bad he, yoU"y
man Of eighteen summers, with such
,hoIt, heavy board, against O man Of
thiiiy-iiye, WHO bad been the victor in
every contest IN which he had t1kcI
part, and who had implicit confidence
ia him. 5'ut the ~" insisted on tac
spoIt COINS on. So eventually tle boards
were launched, and long before the
Oahliau had cleared the inc Of beck
cIs D. seaweiithc hauii1n had ,ea,hol
the O qeI sea aud was CIV zen ev''5--
tiCn Of le proSess.
One OF the rules Governing the spor.
WAS that either could start ~ shore on
tle face of any breaker, bu. it would
rot be 20 until his opponent h1 I
started on the same sea. 1t had mecca
smill TO be mutual either could male
as many attempts rs me saw fit to draw
the other on, and this was continued
fer an hour or two, each struggling for
any advantage in position, but once
stated iO1>thCr there was no retrsst-
.ne; it lad 10 he continued 70 the
beach. II neither vas successful in dis
lodging orwounGin9 theoiher thewho'e
was repeated until one hal been de-
clarcd the victor At last the start vas
made Now all were wildly excited |
men and women were rushing here and
there, talking and gcsiiculqsing; the |
trlbes lined the very waters edge |
some, in their enthusiasm, even ca !
tered the water, but were compelled - |
leave, this being against the law. The |
nauilan warriors, knowing that their
representative would be successful ~
Tue contest, and fearing the yengcance |
Of the Galatians IN consequence, were /
formed in line OF battle with their we.
pens ready for instant use the Others
soon followed the same tactics. but
we're more on the defensive, beiug
greatly inferios in numbers
The riders reached the first line Of
&c breakers. where the Kauiian with
bis light board was the observed OF all
observers. not Only fro the admirable
way in which he handled his board, but
rem his wonderful gymnastics while
Ehirling along at such a rapid gait.
he Oahuian, on the contrary, seemed
o be making heavy weather. ana II was
apparent to all that the Kauiian was
,eiting closer to the shore before dis
odgiDg his opponent, for he had made
eyeral feints, but drew of at the las
moment each time, when any one o
hem must have been successful had ne
And now they ara within few hun
ned yards OF the beach. Every moth
; yelling. each trying to give ins,ruc
loJs to his champion. force is being
SD 10 keep the most persistent owes
rom lishiug into the sea the kuiian
as ranged within a few yards OF the
ther for a final plunge; AMI no7
aemed his chance, FOR TIE OohdiaI 5
card turned; he is making an e.
ut to keep his balance, when to
be surprise Of all, in the viii
nsh that followed be nos only
used his opponent, but the Gght
GARD shot entirely over the heavy oae,
hieh III some mysterious way dipped
eneath the Surface at just the pope
loment. Now was the Oahu'a1's
hance. They run almost on shore,
I'd flying with that fr.ghsidl velocity
itn which a sea rolls on 4 graS Ially
boating beach, both perched on the
restoi breaker fifteen feet in height, 4
hen The OahUian, to the sur
Tlfe OF all oiok he I,a, Nth | I